River Roast

As odd as it sounds, when considering a new restaurant, the name is a major consideration.  There is a restaurant that opened up last year on the Chicago River and had some bid names behind it (Restauranteur, Tony Mantuano and Chef, John Hogan).  Despite the chefs and their backgrounds, I found the name of the restaurant, River Roast, to be one of the most uninteresting names they could come up with.  Since it has opened, I had heard a lot of good things about the food, and I had had several of Chef John Hogan's Terrines at various benefits which were really good, but I just couldn't get past the name.  The restaurant is located on the north side of the Chicago River, and in fact, has a great patio view of the river.  While the entrance of the restaurant is at street level (obviously) the dining room is downstairs at river level.  We were not on the patio, but we were at a table inside that overlooked the patio.  The wall facing the patio was all glass and looked like it could be opened on warm days (The day on which we visited was definitely not warm, but there were still a few brave souls sitting on the patio).  Our table, like many of the tables in the place was a 4 top hi top and while we did manage, it was really too small for the amount of food that we ordered.  It could have folded out to make a bigger table, but as I said, we managed.  While Chef Hogan is known for his charcuterie, we started things out with a couple of things that were definitely not charcuterie, a Scotch Egg with Pickled Red Onions and Pickled Mustard Seed, and Shrimp and Crab Toast.  I really like Scotch Eggs and this one was done exceptionally well.  It starts with a boiled egg, this one was soft boiled.  It is then wrapped in sausage, breaded and fried.  It has a crispy crust with well cooked sausage and a flavorful egg in the middle.  The mustard and onions added some tartness to the dish which was very much enjoyed.  The Shrimp and Crab Toast was a mixture of finely chopped shrimp and crab with Avocado served on some nice crispy wedges of toast.

For our next selections, we went with Golden Gobbets, which were Crispy Fried Chicken Nuggets served with Honey, and Hogan's Charcuterie, which was the Chef's choice of Charcuterie.   The Golden Gobbets were served in a square basket lined with kraft paper (I imagine to soak up the extra grease) which sat on a board with a jar of golden honey.  They were crispy and tender, and had a great fried chicken flavor that had sweetness added when the honey was added.  The chicken was very good, so the honey was really unnecessary, but it did add to it when used lightly.  The charcuterie plate was a thing of beauty.  It contained 5 "cuts" of meat, Breseola, a dried and salted beef sausage, Head Cheese, a terrine containing scraps from the head of a calf or pig and set in aspic, a Pheasant Terrine, a Duck and Fig Terrine, and Pickled Veal Tongue.  In adition, it was served with Toasted Bread, Cranberries, Cornichons, and two types of mustard.  It was great.  The meats had a variety of flavors and textures and were good with or without the accompaniments.

After all of this, we got on to the roasts, the main courses which, while on three boards, were brought out and sliced on a single tray.  Most of the roasts were for two people, although one, the 8 oz serving of Roast Beef served with Horseradish, Jus, and a Popover, was an 8 oz serving for a single person.  We also ordered a Rack of Pork, which was served with Cider Vinegar and Apple Smoked Cornbread, and Branzino, a Roasted Fish served with Mediterranean Chips, a higher end spin on Fish and Chips.  We also ordered a side of RR Potatoes which were pan fried and crispy and presented in the pan.

The Roast Beef was rare and tender, the popover was tall and fluffy, and the horseradish and jus, added a nice finish to the meat.

The Rack of Pork was presented sliced with the Cider Vinegar already added and the bones to the side for anyone that happened to want to gnaw on a bone. There was some cider vinegar left for anyone that thought that it needed more, but it was very good as it was.  This may have been my favorite meat.  The cornbread was sweet with the slightest hint of applewood smoke.

The fish was presented as a whole  breaded fish on a skewer.  We ended up eating it, basically, by pulling pieces off.  While it was mostly deboned, we kind of had to watch it with small bones around the head and tail.  It was very good.  The meat was tender and flavorful and I actually surprised myself a little by working on the head after everyone else had finished with it.

While we did have a lot to eat, not having dessert was not an option.  On the dessert menu was Ice Cream, Pudding, a selection of Bundt Cakes, and a Dessert Terrine, what I saw though was the Fat Elvis, A Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a Peanut, Pretzel, and Graham Cracker Crust and topped with Pretzels and Dried Bananas.  The peanut butter and chocolate were actually in separate layers, with the chocolate on the bottom having the consistency of fudge and the creamy peanut butter on top.  It was a great pie and a great way to finish the meal.

While I really liked dinner here, the food was great, as was the service and the great view, if I were to return here, I would make sure to have someone with me because their food is made for sharing and for the most part, it really isn't conducive to dining alone.    

Longman & Eagle

While I have been to Longman & Eagle several times, I have been there for lunch, brunch, and cocktails, I have never been for dinner.  As it has one of the best whiskey lists in the city and it has a Michelin Star besides, I knew that I was going to have to go one evening.  That evening arrived recently.  While I like the rustic interior, it was a beautiful evening and they have a nice patio so I decided to sit outside.  The menu is divided into Bar Snacks, Small Plates, and Large Plates, many of which are great for sharing.  I ordered something from each section.  For my first plate, my Bar Snack, I ordered the Pheasant Pate, Sourdough Tartines, Pickles (pickled vegetables), and Mustard.  I like pate and I like pheasant but I had never had them together so other than being good, I was unsure what it was going to be like.  This tasted like pate but it had a flavor that was a little more gamy.  I ate the pate like an open faced sandwich, spreading the mustard  on the sourdough and the pate on top of that.  The vegetables used in the pickle were carrots, cauliflower, and peppers and I ate that between bites of pate sandwiches.  As one might expect with the sourdough bread, the mustard, and the pickles, the dish was pretty sour but the sour went well with the pate.

For my appetizer, I got Blue Crab Ravioli with Black Truffles, Fava Beans, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Baby Greens, in a Tomato Consomme.  The blue crab was finely shredded and filled the perfectly cooked ravioli shells.  The shells were a firm "al dente" and again reminded  me that most pasta prepared at home is overcooked.  The pasta was topped with thinly sliced black truffles.  Truffles have a distinctly pungent flavor and while the flavor was there, it was much more subtle than I would have expected.  There were a couple of different types of cherry tomatoes, fava beans, and microgreens, which were all very fresh.  The tomatoes and the fava beans were sliced in half which made their flavor more immediate.  While this would have been good on it's own, when it was presented, a tomato consommé, which was very clear, was poured over it.  While the presentation/performance was kind of neat, I really didn't expect much from the consommé and actually expected it to be kind of bland given that it was very clear.  I was happily wrong on that point.  The consommé was warm and had the taste of fresh salted tomatoes which finished the dish well.

I was a little surprised by my entree, mainly because I misread the menu.  I was not disappointed because I liked all of the elements of the dish but it wasn't exactly what I expected.  The dish was a Monkfish Osso Bucco with Clams, Broccoli Rabe, Cremini Mushrooms, and many elements of corn: kernels, silk, and powdered.  When I think of osso bucco, I think of a steak, usually veal, with a cross cut bone showing the marrow hole.  I was expecting to get this in addition to the monkfish and clams.  I was not expecting the monkfish to be the meat surrounding the large bone.  I like monkfish, I was just not aware that there is anywhere on that fish that you would be able to find a bone that big and solid.  The clams, mushrooms, and broccoli rabe went together well with each other and the fish and while the corn kernels were good, the silk and powder were just odd.

You would think that after all of this food, I would be too full for dessert.  While I was satisfied and could have walked away, I am never one to turn down dessert and in this case, I was very happy that I went for it because it was a thing of beauty and it tasted as good as it looked.  My dessert was a  Pralined Pecan Terrine with Caramel & Bourbon, Espresso, Honey Foam, Chocolate, Malted Ice Cream, and Bourbon Panna Cotta.  The terrine was to me like a firm multi-layered custard and was served with some pecan brittle.  It had a layer of chocolate on one side and bourboned caramel on the other.  The interior layers combined pecans with espresso and honey foam.  The malted ice cream was sitting on some powdered malt and was very good.  While the bourbon panna cotta was a little thinner than I expect for a good panna cotta, it tasted good.  The bourbon was subtle but it was definitely there and it went well with the other stronger flavors within the terrine.  It was also garnished with cinnamon which was a good finish.

I really enjoyed my meal here and was glad I finally made it for dinner.  The waiter was friendly and able to answer my questions well and it was nice to sit out on the patio on a beautiful evening and enjoy some really good food.